


We're growing up but not apart

by Leodine



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Confident Will Byers, Fluff, Flustered Mike Wheeler, Getting Together, M/M, Tall Will Byers, The Party is supportive of those two idiots, just pure fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 01:33:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21709183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leodine/pseuds/Leodine
Summary: Mike realized Will was taller than him. This, among other things, made him feel things. A lot of them.Luckily for him, Will felt the same.
Relationships: Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Comments: 10
Kudos: 138





	We're growing up but not apart

**Author's Note:**

> This little bit of fluff is dedicated to onlyssca who really wanted it to be published!

Mike was staring.

He had been staring at Will for a while now, and it must have been showing, because Dustin was throwing him judging glances more and more often. Will was oblivious, talking animatedly with Lucas about a new campaign project with the six of them that involved a huge backstory that he was planning to illustrate, and Mike to write.

So, maybe, Mike should have been more involved in the conversation.

But he couldn’t.

He had noticed something that he couldn’t get out of his mind.

Will, even hunched over, as he often was these days, was visibly taller than Dustin and Lucas.

Mike hadn’t seen it happen. He’d always been so used to Will being the smallest of the Party, that witnessing with his own two eyes that he was far from it now, was making him dizzy. And Will wasn’t helping. Even now, as he was explaining the role that Lucas’ character would have in theory and listening to their friend’s input, he was positioned in such a way that he had to sort of look up to talk to him. That couldn’t be good for his back.

Mike couldn’t talk to his friends with his thoughts so focused on one thing. He stood up, startling El and Max who were reading comics at his feet. He apologized hurriedly, ignoring Max’s playful glare, and turned to Will, who had stopped talking.

“He’s been staring at you the whole time,” Dustin commented on something Mike decided to not notice.

“Will, can you come with me? Upstairs?” He accompanied his words with a tilt of his head towards the exit of the basement.

“Sure,” Will said, smiling softly.

Mike pointedly ignored everyone’s stares on them, and Lucas’ thumbs up to Will. What the hell was that about anyway?

He led Will to the bathroom, because while there was one in the basement, the others were there too, and Mike wanted to be alone with him. He closed the door behind them.

“What did you want to talk about? In the upstairs bathroom?” Will asked gently, the perfect image of patience.

“Can you stand up straight, please?”

Will’s face fell. “Wha-”

“Please,” Mike insisted.

Will complied, eyeing Mike like he was some sort of confusing idiot. He straightened his back, staring straight ahead. The posture wasn’t exactly natural, betraying Will’s habit of slouching, but Mike didn’t care about that. He was also standing straight – as straight as he could at least, and Will… Will was taller. Mike had to look up to glance at his eyes and, in the mirror, their reflections were clearly not the same height. And Mike’s cheeks were red.

“You’re-”

“What is it, Mike?” Will said, looking down – looking down! And not even seeing that he was slouching again, to find himself looking up like he was used to.

“Stop!”

“What is it?” Will was frozen in his half-slouched stance, and Mike put his hands on his back to force him to stand up right.

“You’re taller than me,” Mike said.

“What? What are you talking about?” Will glanced at the mirror, and distant surprise painted his features. “Oh! I hadn’t noticed.”

“You hadn’t?” Mike was absolutely floored. “Will, you’re taller than me!”

“Yeah, I got it. But it’s just one inch or something, it’s not a big deal.”

“Not a big deal?” Mike said. His voice broke on the big.

“Mike…”

“I hate it,” Mike admitted, his face burning.

“I can’t exactly control that, Mike,” Will said, patience now visibly running out. “And I cannot ungrow myself. What do you want me to do?”

“It’s so unfair!” Mike went on, unable to quite pinpoint the reason why he was upset.

“I’m not really following,” Will said, his tone teetering on frustration.

“You’re taller than Dustin, you got taller than your brother and than Lucas, and now you’re-”

“You’re also taller than all of them, Mike.” Will sighed. “That’s really not what I came up here for.”

“But I don’t want you to be taller. You’re supposed to be the smallest, you know,” Will made an angry sound that caused Mike to look down. “I feel weird knowing that you’re taller than me.” The emotion in his voice was palpable, embarrassing even. What was he saying?

“Weird how?” Will asked, his voice losing all traces of his previous annoyance. “Good or bad?”

Mike glanced back up. Will was smiling, a sort of half smirk that was very cute. It was like he wasn’t sure he could be smug about something he had noticed yet. “I don’t know!”

“Tell me,” Will said, his voice lowering with his head. “You can tell me anything, you know that?”

Mike’s entire body was burning. “Uh, yeah. It’s just. You’re you.”

“I’m me?” Will leaned away, an eyebrow raised.

“You know what I mean!”

“I really don’t,” Will said, but his eyes were shining with mischief. Or was it something else?

“Will!” Mike whined. “You’re too tall and it’s intimidating because you joined track and you look like that and your face and ugh-” He threw his hands up in the air.

“Are you telling me you find me attractive?” Will said, eyes bright and smiling too wide for Mike to handle it.

“W-What?” Mike glanced away from Will. “Of course you’re-” He closed his eyes, feeling suddenly overwhelmed. “Of course you’re beautiful! And- And I find you beautiful, attractive, whatever you name it.”

“Then what’s the problem?” Will asked very calmly. “You like me, and you find me attractive, right?”

Mike, eyes still closed, nodded.

“And I like you, and I find you attractive as well. So what’s holding us up?”

Mike’s head whipped up so fast he must have sprained something. “You what?”

Will’s face was kind but there was a trace of another emotion, one that was making Mike feel like an idiot.

“I like you,” Will repeated. “I want to date you. Is it something you want too?”

This was too new. How could Will be so calm about it? His voice was soothing but firm, and Mike wasn’t sure if he wanted him to keep talking or just shut up forever.

But Will wasn’t just calm. He sounded confident too, like he had figured out something about himself and was waiting for Mike to do the same. Which was wanting to ask each other out, apparently. This was all too good. Would this moment be taken away from him as well?

“I…”

“Take your time, Mike,” Will said, ever so indulgent.

The truth was, this Will was scary. It wasn’t just the height. It was many things since he had moved out. This Will, who felt like a stranger at times, never fully similar to the memories he had of him, never entirely different. He was more assertive, more at ease with himself, but still so kind and loving the resulting personality was incredibly captivating.

Mike really liked Will before – how could he not? But now, he knew that it was not just like, it wasn’t the same, and he couldn’t ignore it anymore.

The truth was, of course Mike loved Will. He had always loved him, but the heat on his cheeks and in his chest was burning bright new, nothing like he had ever felt before.

“I love you,” Mike blurted out, eyes peering up into Will’s.

Will stopped moving, and Mike noted, dazedly, that he had been swaying. This was familiar. Reassuring. Will wasn’t just a new person in a new body wearing a new face. He wasn’t a stranger. He was Will and Mike loved him.

Will looked at him, his own face orned with a pretty flush. “I love you too, Mike.” He smiled, both happy and teasing. “But that wasn’t my question.”

“Aren’t you satisfied with my I love you?” Mike said.

“Not really if that means I can’t, you know, be with you. Hold your hand,” Will came close, taking Mike’s hand in his, “call you my boyfriend, kiss you.” His eyes dropped to Mike’s lips.

Mike’s skin was burning bright everywhere Will was looking. He stepped closer, almost relieved when Will put his hand on his cheek, a soothing touch.

And they kissed.

Soft, warm, nothing like Mike was used to. Will was being careful with him, maybe too much so, but it helped him think. Consider the other possibilities. He gripped Will’s shoulders at the thought of them never getting to do this, of him never dating Will. It was painful. But they had been so close to it. If Mike had been stubbornly attached to dating El, to keep ignoring his feelings for Will.

They slowly parted, their foreheads connected and their breaths mingling. It felt so real.

It was real.

“Oh,” Mike let out a heavy breath. There was something that tasted like relief in his mouth.

“Yeah?” Will said, his lips still so close to Mike’s.

“Boyfriends?”

Will smiled. “Boyfriends.”

He planted another kiss on Mike’s lips, short but sweet, and stepped back with a satisfied look on his face.

Mike took Will’s hand, happy to see that his confident boyfriend still got flustered for some things, and they walked back down to the basement. If Mike had a spring in his step Will didn’t mention it.

As they reached the last steps, hand in hand, they were greeted with cheers. Will was blushing, but his smile stayed on. Mike, on the other hand, was confused.

“You did it, Byers,” Lucas said, clapping Will on the back.

“What’s going on,” Mike asked.

“I told you. I told you this was going to be the day!” Dustin said excitedly. “I’m so happy for you, guys!”

“Dustin, you never said it would be _today_ ,” Max said, but she was smiling, just like everyone else in the room.

“I did!”

“You didn’t,” El piped up. She was holding Max’s hand. “I’m so happy for you, Will.” Will ducked his head down with a shy smile.

“What is going on guys?” Mike asked again.

“Nothing much,” Max replied.

“You guys are together,” Lucas said wisely, “and that means you finally understood that you liked Will which means we need to celebrate.”

“Did you all know?” Mike squeaked, looking at all his friends, a feeling of muted betrayal rising in his chest.

It faded rapidly when everyone nodded emphatically, Will included.

“Wait, if you knew,” Mike asked, turning to Will, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I-I wasn’t sure.” Will said, voice low.

“He’s needed a lot of convincing to act,” Lucas said, a fond smile on his face. “But he did. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks,” Will said, his own smile having grown with Lucas’ praising.

“I can’t believe Mike likes that Will is taller than him so much that he exploded with feelings right here and then,” Max said, an eyebrow raised, the smirk on her face the thing Mike wanted to see disappear the most in the world.

“Guys! Stop it,” Mike pleaded, his cheeks once again burning hot.

They all laughed – maybe at him, maybe with him. It didn’t matter, when Mike was probably the luckiest guy in the world. Will led him to the couch, where they spent the rest of the afternoon actually talking about their next campaign. Mike did get distracted by Will’s everything, but his _boyfriend_ was patient enough to just smile at him and kiss him, tender and loving, when that happened, the coos of the Party the only sign of them not being alone in the room.

Mike was happy.


End file.
